September’s Ipsy Glam Bag

This month’s bag seemed like a perfect 10 at first, but unfortunately I was allergic to an item. Let’s get that one out of the way first, shall we?

Seraphine Botanicals Guava Butter lip and cheek stain

Seraphine botanicals is a completely vegan and cruelty free brand. I was happy to have gotten an item from a brand like this that I had never heard of before. As most of us do, as soon as I pulled it out of my bag, sniffed it (it smells fruity and delicious), then swatched it on the back of my hand. Within 5 minutes (even though I had already washed it away with soap) I had a terrible burning itch that left my hand bright red for a few hours after. You can bet I didn’t even bother giving it a second thought. I passed it along to my mom, who also fell in love with the beautiful scent. It is a great color on her, and she wasn’t allergic, so it’s a really nice product, it just hurt me. I will keep its list of ingredients in my personal files so I can hopefully someday pinpoint the actual ingredient within it that made me react.

According to their site, these products are all natural, and are actually blended by hand! I also saw in the list of ingredients on this product page that it’s supposed to be hypoallergenic (haha!). I am just blessed with especially nasty sensitivities, so there’s no sense in going by what affects me. This product costs $24, which to me is a little steep, but you know how much I love inexpensive products.

Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish: Champagne Socialite

This polish went on easily and didn’t take an excessive amount of time to dry. The paint smell went away quickly as well, which I like; because who wants to keep smelling polish forever after application? This was a very nice change after the Ciate London polish I got in last months bag. The wear time for this lasted longer than my actual nails did. There was no chipping or dulling whatsoever within 6 days.

When I researched the brand, and found that they are completely vegan, cruelty, paraben, and GMO free, I was very pleased. Single bottles of polish run from between $12-$15 on the Trust Fund Beauty site. As I mention in every nail polish review, I am a die hard Essie fan. I’d be willing to spend the extra few dollars to support this company instead, though, as they fit with my values. Essie uses fish scales and an ingredient that comes from the lac bug. Here is my promise that I will never buy (even on sale) from them again.

Eau Thermale Avene Hydrating Optimale Hydrating Serum

This serum made my face feel so hydrated and smooth. I did notice an overall improvement on the texture and hydration of my face after using it for a couple of days. I gently bur firmly pressed it into my skin immediately after drying my face from washing, before adding my regular moisturizer (I talk about that moisturizer in this post). Some days using the serum actually made it so I didn’t have to use moisturizer. It acted as a really great primer on these days, making my makeup application feel much smoother. As serums are, this one is a little pricey. Listed on aveneusa.com at $38.00, this is definitely an investment. With these results, however, I think it’s worth it. If you sign up to be part of their email list, you get free shipping on your first order, and can also sign up to have your serum auto-replenished with a 10% discount.

This brand is one I’ve never heard of, but according to Ipsy’s website, this brand uses thermal spring water (eau thermal Avene translates to Avene thermal water) that takes 40 years to travel through the Cevennes mountains, taking all that time to gather minerals that make their products very special. I’m starting to see where they get their price point. There’s a whole bunch of stuff on their site talking about how they cater to sensitive skin, are hypoallergenic, and are recommended by dermatologists worldwide, but no mention of being cruelty free or vegan. I noticed a few ingredients in the list for this particular product that are definitely not vegan. That being said, although I really like this product, I don’t imagine myself buying it knowing it isn’t vegan.

IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara: Super Black

I’m already a personal fan of IT, because I got my first product in February’s Glam Bag, and was completely sold. They’re completely vegan and cruelty free (YAY!) and have amazing high quality products. I shop them at Ulta, and I know they should be selling through Sephora soon, as well.

As you may remember from past posts, I’m very picky about mascara. This formula hold it’s shape (curl) all day, doesn’t flake or clump, and feels really soft and natural on. It’s listed at $24 on IT’s site but I’ll probably purchase from Ulta, since it’s in my city. I don’t mind paying extra for a great mascara from a brand that values animals enough to keep their bodies uninvolved in our cosmetics.

Living Proof Perfect hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment

I’ve read so many things about this brand that I had really high expectations for this product. I was a little disappointed. I hardly ever use a hair dryer, as it makes my hair crispy and hard to deal with. I tried this product both using a hair dryer (as the packaging suggests), and also on my hair before drying naturally. Neither way really gave me any desirable results. The day after washing my hair went pretty well: my hair felt soft and strong. But the second day and beyond (my scalp only tolerates washing once per week) my hair looked dull and was super frizzy – a problem I never have with any other products I use. This product didn’t give me a perfect hair day, but several bad ones. If you read August’s Ipsy Glam Bag review, you know how much I fell in love with the It Haircare 12-in-one leave in treatment.

The Living Proof treatment didn’t live up to its reputation, nor its price in my opinion. Their site lists a $15 2 0z bottle, and a $27 4 oz bottle. I received 1 oz in the Glam Bag, but won’t be using it again. I’ll stick to the $6 bottle of the It Haircare treatment.

Overall I found two products I’ll definitely be buying in the future from this bag. I hope some of these reviews have been teaching you a little something here and there, or have helped you decide on some products yourself. Please don’t ever hesitate to comment or ask questions about any of the products I’ve named, or anything else beauty or cosmetics related. Have fun!